Cartersville is a city of roughly 23,000 residents, located in the northwestern suburbs of Atlanta in Bartow County, Georgia. Cases of local prostitution and sex trafficking have been documented for decades.

Local law enforcement has conducted operations that are designed to demand for commercial sex. For example, in early March 2016, the Cartersville Police Department conducted a web-based reverse sting that netted the arrests of 11 men. The men were reportedly arrested “in an internet prostitution bust at a Cartersville hotel.” Following their arrests, the men’s mugshots and other identifying information were released to the public.

Loss of employment is another consequence of sex buying that has occurred in the city.  On September 1st, 2022, the Deputy Chief of Police Administration for the Cartersville Police Department was arrested by Polk County (Florida) Sheriff’s Office deputies on charges of Soliciting another for prostitution, lewdness, or assignation. He had been arrested during a reverse sting operation in the Orlando area. The man had responded to an online escort advertisement and began a conversation with an undercover detective, and agreed to engage in sexual activities with the undercover detective, but then told the detective “I got spooked,” and asked to see her the next night. The next day, he reinitiated the online communication, and agreed to come to an undisclosed location to meet the detective. He initially agreed to pay the undercover detective $120 for a half hour of “full service” sex. When he arrived at the undisclosed location, he confirmed the arrangement by giving the undercover detective $180 and a multi-pack of White Claw Hard Seltzer. He was arrested and transported to the Polk County Jail where he was released after paying a $500 bond. The Cartersville Georgia Police Department was notified of the arrest. On September 8th, 2022, the man resigned from his position of employment with the CPD, after being placed on administrative leave soon after his arrest. The arrest was a part of a week-long human trafficking undercover enforcement operation conducted by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement agencies. The purpose of the operation was to identify those involved in human trafficking and arrest those who procure and engage in prostitution. The Cartersville sex buyer had been in Orlando attending an American Polygraph Association Seminar/Workshop.